Emotional IQ vs. Intellectual IQ: How do they compare?

Emotional IQ is the ability to handle complex, difficult and sometimes very sad situations. It is also the ability to navigate intricate social situations. Some children simply have a knack for socializing and are farther along than their peers (want your student to grow more confident and develop social skills? Try one of our in-home Orange County tutors). However, at the end of the day, emotional IQ comes with experience and time. A 35-year-old with a 110 IQ will almost always have a significantly higher emotional IQ than a 15-year-old with a 140 IQ. Some things just come with time.

Intellectual IQ is the potential a person has, at any age, to achieve academically and to understand higher levels of thinking.

Gifted children (READ: GATE Testing) can find themselves in really tough situations if their adult counterparts expect them to have an adult emotional IQ. A 5-year-old has had 5 years of life experience, not 10 or 20 or 55. Even if their intellectual IQ is 130+ (the “gifted” cutoff), they still need time to grow and learn about emotional situations. Let’s look at some real life examples.

Emotional IQ vs Intellectual IQ: Example One

A second grader has an intellectual IQ of 135 but the emotional IQ of a seven-year-old. Her reading level is three grade levels above that of her peers and she easily gets bored with second grade books (Have you considered an Irvine private tutor for your child’s reading abilities? Check out: Reading Tutoring). It would be easy to give the child a fifth grade reading level book, but this could potentially be a big mistake. It’s really important for teachers and parents to look at the content of the higher level books and think about whether or not the student is emotionally ready to handle the content.

How would a second grader, no matter what their IQ, respond to learning about the Holocaust for the first time from a book? How would they respond to reading about the West Nile Virus in the newspaper? Content and skill are two very different things. It’s important to challenge a gifted learner intellectually while maintaining socially and emotionally appropriate content. Check out what these parents had to say about these books: ProTeacher.net

Emotional IQ vs Intellectual IQ: Example Two

A sixth grader, who happens to be gifted at math and has a 145 overall intellectual IQ, is struggling socially. Because he has a high IQ, he is expected to understand social situations that juniors and seniors in high school can handle. Just because he is a math whiz, doesn’t mean that he is able to have a relevant conversation with students five or six years his senior. Perhaps when they are 30 and 35-years-old respectively, the social situation will be quite different but a sixth grader will still needs to socialize with sixth graders, even if they are in different classes. I recommend that parents arrange time outside of school for their gifted child to spend with children their own age and have plenty of opportunity to just relax and have fun being 11-years-old.

Emotional IQ vs Intellectual IQ: Example Three

A gifted child is asked to handle the academic workload of an adult. Many advanced and gifted learners are asked to not only take on the skill level of much older children or adults, but also adhere to the time table of an adult. Most of us sit down and concentrate at a desk for 8 or more hours a day and we have learned to cope with it. As adults, we know when to take breaks, when to get up and walk around and when to simply power through it. Children, no matter how smart they are, are not accustomed to sitting down for more than six hours in a 24 hour period. The beauty of childhood is to spend time outside, spend time with friends, and use the imagination. Adulthood will come all too soon enough and it is important that gifted children get time to simply be children. They need to laugh, play and have fun like all children.

Bottom Line

It’s essential to assess emotional IQ along side with intellectual IQ. The bottom line is that each child will have a potentially vast difference in their intellectual abilities. Some will be musicians, some will be engineers, and others will be artists or dancers. But a six-year-old is a six-year-old and emotional IQ generally doesn’t vary by more than a year or two if the child is under 18.

All blog entries are written by Tutor Nerds. Are you an education professional? If so, email us at info@tutornerds.com for guest blogging and collaborations. We want to make this the best free education resource in SoCal, so feel free to suggest what you would like to see us post about.

Orange County parents and students, listen up! Beat the summer slowdown with a private, in-home tutor. We work around your schedule so you can stay sharp while having fun in the sun. Read: 10 Reasons You Need a Summer Tutor. What are you waiting for? Call us.

California State Common Core Standards

Is your student meeting the new common core standards? Do you even know what they are. Take a deep breath, we know the new standards have been a headache for parents, students, and educators alike. The good news? Our Orange County private, in home tutors are here to help!

According to the state of California, a student should be able to demonstrate a certain criteria to be considered in line with the common core standards. Let’s take a look at what they say about independence and see if your child is meeting these guidelines. Below is a brief eight part list describing the standards, as well as our recommendations on how to achieve them. Remember, if you have any questions feel free to email us at: info@tutornerds.com or, if it’s a brief inquiry, tweet us: @TutorNerds

A – A student should be able to ask for help when necessary as well as be able to seek out information through printed material (books, texts and online materials).

TutorNerds recommendation: Reading is a key element here, so the more books your child reads at a young age, the better. Piquing his or her curiosity in books is a challenge these days as a consequence the internet, but it’s not an impossible task. In fact, the internet can be to your advantage. Utilizing websites such as Free-eBooks.net, is a great way to synthesizing literature and the internet.

B – Students also need to be able to “evaluate” and understand intricate texts “without prompting”. This essentially means that the student should be able to analyze information and be able to understand which elements of the text are important and which are not.

TutorNerds recommendation: This skill is learned over time and with practice, so starting young can be the path to success. For example, a great way to practice is by reading reports in local papers, such as the Orange County Register, then write a two to three sentence summary of the main points. Here’s a great help: 7 Critical Reading Strategies.

C – Students should also be “self directed” learners by the time they leave high school; they should be able to look for useful information on their own without distinct instructions. To illustrate, many college courses, especially higher level ones, assign readings, then ask students to integrate what they read into an exam question. Often, the professor won’t tell the students what pages or passages are the best for a high grade; it’s up to the student to know.

TutorNerds recommendation: Research projects are a useful tool when it comes to locating information, and can often be the best way to learn how to be a truly active learner. Problem solving in everyday life can also be a great step toward self-direction. For a younger child, something as simple as organizing their own homework binder or managing time with a list of at-home chores can help them get started. As for older students, a personal blog is a great place to research, organize the necessary information to publish an interesting post. Here’s an excellent article on student blogging: 5 Reasons Your Student Should Blog.

D – Students must know about “multiple disciplines”. If your kid is really into a particular subject, that’s great but they should also be learning about, and be able to communicate their understanding of, English, math, history, science etc…

My recommendation: Expose your child to education outside of the classroom. Let them see art in the real world by taking them to a museum or gallery. Science can become a lot more fun if they can do a hands-on project. Geometry can become more relevant if a child understands how a building stays upright due to correct measurements and weight distribution.

E – Students should also be able to “construct effective arguments”. What makes an argument “effective”? Can your child persuade another to see their point of view? Can they empathize with a character in a book that is different from them? Arguments can be both written and oral, so helping your child with both will get them to the place they need to be faster.

My recommendation: Allow your child to slowly become comfortable with public speaking at an early age. Look at a character or situation in a novel and ask you kid to argue for one side or the other. See if they can convince you. This is easier said than done so a support Irvine private tutor might also be helpful in this situation. Programs for older students, such as Model United Nations, are also very helpful.

Being independent both academically and socially is crucial for success in college and the workforce. Working to meet independence can also be helpful when it comes to studying for standardized tests, general exams, and completing assignments.

As mentioned before, TutorNerds is here to help your student gain confidence and competence in the new common core standards. In addition to our private, in home tutoring services, we relay daily tips, information, and educational news right here on our tutoring blog and through our twitter. Please help others get the TutorNerds advantage by sharing our posts. Thank you!

All blog entries are written by Tutor Nerds. Are you an education, Orange County, CA, or other relevant blogger? If so, email us at info@tutornerds.com for guest blogging and collaborations.

Attention all Orange County, CA, high school students grades 9-12: Enter our essay contest for a chance to win $500! The deadline is quickly approaching.

K-5

Elementary School

Build a foundation of knowledge, confidence and enthusiasm for learning.

6-8

Middle School

Become inspired by the prospects of a demanding future.

9-12

High School

Create a manageable balance between challenging classes and testing.

College

Undergrad & Grad

See the results of your hard work pay off.

Admissions Consulting

College, Grad & Pro.

10 years experience in the field - our admissions consultants have a deep understanding of the application process

Names of standardized tests, logos and images of institutions, private and public, are used per their public availability and are the sole property of their copyright holders. No standardized testing entity or institution is affiliated with TutorNerds LLC.
Claims and guarantees are made in an effort to accurately represent our services and the potential thereof. However, individual success depends on the efforts and environments of individual students.